Are you Dr Toulson?

So, I am in the midst of my first weekend on-call and it has been OK. (I am writing this on Saturday afternoon) Nothing so far as harrowing as my first on-call nine days ago. There has been some interesting medical cases, some sick children to admit and manage and some suturing (I met my first Zulu drunk this morning at 03:30am).

It was a busy night and I was relieved to get to bed at 4:00 am. At 6:45 am, the internal phone in our house was ringing (usually it is the on-call phone which wakes me up!). I quickly jump out of bed and answer it. The conversation goes as follows:

‘Are you Dr Too-son?’ Yes (I reply softly – I am used to no one being able to pronounce the word Toulson I think the difficulty lies with the letter ‘l’ but then I certainly do not complain given my limited and at times unpronounceable Zulu)
‘Are you Dr Too-son? Yes I am Dr Toulson.
‘This is the Charge of his commander at Ingwavuma Police Station.’
‘Are you sure you are Dr Too-son?’
At this point my heart stops and I think this ‘Charge of his commander’ – whatever that means is about to tell me that Henry has been killed on his way to Sodwana Bay or in Sodwana Bay itself!
I suddenly can’t breathe. My brain becomes fuzzy. I feel sickness. I can’t concentrate. As I snap out of it, I am told that there has been a burning overnight in a house where one person has died and they would like me to come and examine the remains of the person in the house. It is a suspicious death.
I have no clue how to do the task he is asking me to do. What to say? What to ask? (Come on Mary! Think!)
‘What is the distance to the incident?’
The answer, ‘Approximately 45 minutes away’. I am sceptical about the reliability of this time estimate. However I am assured he can send transport to bring me there and back.
I explain that I cannot leave the hospital premises and if I do, I need to be close by to rush in to anaesthetise the c-sections.
‘Ummm’, says the Charge of his commander. ‘This will be a problem. I will bring the remains to the hospital’.
‘Thank you’ – I say.

Confused – I go back to bed.